SOHOMINIUM

Private REIT prototype

2013-04-19T18:14:00.001+08:00

Investment in REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) has been growing steadily in Malaysia through the recent years. The logic and rationale behind REITs are obvious: pooling the resources of small investors in order to venture into sizeable property projects for their rental incomes and capital appreciation. There are established regulations, procedures governing the establishment, promotion, marketing and management of such REITs. Consequently, investment in REITs is therefore very much like investment in stocks and shares, with the investors having no direct involvement in the selection, acquisition and management of the various properties in the portfolio.

On the other hand, if a group of investors takes a more or less active part in the “management” of the property investment (similar to “private REIT” arrangement), the investors actually enjoy the multiple benefits / participation as follows:

· Investment Values (passive incomes & capital appreciation)
· Lifestyle Values (Live-Work-Travel-Learn-Play eco-system and Share-Economy)
· Community Values (Collaborators and Connectors)
· Business Opportunity Values (Lean Start-up, Franchise, Master Mind Group)
· Holistic Values (Personal Development, Triple-Bottom-Line of Profit-People-Planet)

Due to the similarity to “private REIT”, the investment would have higher liquidity as compared to property investment per se. The REALshare (shares in Real Estate) could be freely sold or transacted with minimum constraints.

The Collaborative Second Home project is a working prototype of such “private REIT”.

What Then Must We Do: #collaborative2home ?!

2013-04-06T08:14:00.000+08:00

I have not read the book yet. But I can see a parallel here.

I felt that the New Economy should be or would be Kelsonian Economics ("Just Third Way") and could be colorfully illustrated by the joint ownership of private property along the line of Collaborative Second Home (#collaborative2home).

Collaborative Second Home is Second Home owned collaboratively to be used as a "Third Place" (Primary Residence=First Place, Work-Place=Second Place, Socializing Club etc =Third Place). Collaborative Second Home is designed for Live-Work-Travel-Learn-Play (LW-T-LP) Lifestyle and passive incomes.

Collaborative Second Home is similar to other "Third Place" projects such as Co-working, Co-Housing, Hacker-Space etc. Collaborative2Home is a micro / private version / interpretation / practice of the Kelsonian Economics ("Just Third Way") which a "good mix" of Capitalism and Socialism. Indeed, it is above and beyond Capitalism and Socialism. It is a bit "transcendental"! Therefore, a co-owned Third Place (such as Collaborative2Home) is the Just Third Way.

Or if you prefer a formula:

Co-owned Third Place = Just Third Way = Collaborative Second Home

Couch-surfers and Swiftlet-birds

2013-03-24T09:07:00.000+08:00

I was discussing Bird-Nest (Swiftlet) Farming in Malaysia with Eva (German couch-surfer) the other day.... I had a funny feeling that the Swiftlet birds are very much like couch-surfers.... getting free accommodation in exchange for some "productive experiences" (in this case yield of edible bird-nests). Should couch-surfers be like or behave like Swiflet-birds?

"Edible Bird Nests" are luxury delicacies served in high-class restaurants, particularly in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and other SEA countries. Swiftlet Farming is a very BIG industry in Malaysia, with thousands of 5-star-hotel- like accommodations (usually 4-storey buildings) exclusively designed and built for the sole purpose of attracting such birds to be residents and hence "free workers" producing "edible bird-nests".

On the other hand, my experience with couch-surfers have mainly been in area of receiving helps on domestic chores from willing couch-surfers, skills-exchange, exchange of life experiences etc. Such productive experiences have kept me interested in providing "free accommodation" to these Swiftlet-birds (either males or females of diverse ages), just like the Swiftlet Farmers providing 5-star accommodation to the real Swiftlet-birds in Malaysia, which is a VERY big industry supplying edible bird-nests to big markets in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong etc.

So, should couch-surfers be like or behave like Swlftlet-Birds?

I think the answer depends very much on whether you are predominantly using your “Left-brain” or “Right-brain” or giving more emphasis on “Swiftlet” (the “productive” aspects like the Swiftlets) or “Birds” (the birdy or girly aspects of female couch-surfers). Of course, the Left-brainers tend to be analytical, giving more weight to value-exchange, while the Right-brainers tend to be emotional or sensual, giving more weight to "girly" aspects (please use your right-brain to have your own interpretations).

So, when you look at the ”Swiftlet-Bird” combination word, are you drawn to “Swiftlet” (left part) or “Bird” (right part). This could surprisingly reveal a lot about who you really are.

This is just an interesting analogy / observation.... and an analysis / advice / reminder to couch-surfers (and hosts) to be "productive" and not "free loading".

Live-Work-Travel-Learn-Play (LW-T-LP): Weekly Presentation

2013-03-07T08:16:00.000+08:00

Travel the world FREE / Overseas Friendship / Property Ownership / Holistic Lifestyle / Business Opportunity / Mastermind Group

Do you want to connect with overseas travelers via ownership of a second home for Live-Work-Travel-Learn-Play (LW-T-LP) opportunities? Call / sms 0122134968 or visit our page on Facebook:// hypercube.soholand

FREE Weekly presentation on LW-T-LP at SOHO*land

Date: This and every Saturday

Time: 3.00pm to 5.00pm

Venue: SOHOland, Unit A-1-E, Langat Jaya Condominium,

off Jalan Hulu Langat, Cheras 43200, Selangor, Malaysia.

Reservation: Prior bookings (FREE) required via call / sms to 0122134968

Remarks:

The Twenty-First Century is witnessing the emergence of the New Normal. This is impacting companies and their employees, particularly in terms of the advocacy for the Triple Bottom Line, namely Profit / People / Planet (the 3Ps) or Economy / Equity / Ecology (the 3Es).

Our project ---- Collaborative Second Home --- with its Live-Work-Travel-Learn-Play (LW-T-LP) components is designed to reflect and comply with this emerging global trend. The principle behind the project is Collaborative Consumption / Sharing Economy…. practical way of sharing resources for both consumption and production. Other terms for the project are Co-working, Co-Housing, FabLab or Hacker-Space etc. Our Collaborative Second Home (known as Hypercube @ SOHOland) has characteristics of all these innovative ideas combined.

A Couch and A Coach

2013-02-28T00:23:00.000+08:00

Recently I am have been following two interesting trends: Couch-surfing and Life Coaching.

Couch-surfing enables you to get “free” accommodation while traveling, in addition to getting first-hand experience and exposure to local culture, social-economic environment. The building up of social / personal connections (net-working) is also most valuable.

Life Coaching on the other hand is the provision of advisory and consultancy services on productivity and efficiency, motivation and action etc., affecting one's personal and corporate environment. It is very much action and goal orientated.

What a “Couch” has to do with a “Coach”?

Couch-surfing is a very good example of Collaborative Consumption (the emerging or nascent Sharing Economy) which needs to be made into main stream economic and business model, in light of the prevailing call for the Triple Bottom Line (Profit / People / Planet) approach for the business or corporate world. The green-washing approach is and cannot be the permanent solution.

Life Coaching might be the best way to spread the ideal of Triple Bottom Line / Collaborative Consumption. Life Coaching should be integral in its approach and continuous in its follow-up and follow-through.

The SOHOland project (in the form of a collaborative and communal second home known as Hypercube) with its Live-Work-Travel-Learn-Play (LW-T-LP) components would be able to provide literally both a “Couch” and a “Coach” !

The 3 Doctors I Hosted in Couch-Surfing

2013-01-31T17:09:00.000+08:00

It was a pure coincidence that I hosted, on the same day, three doctors as couch-surfers at my place known as SOHOland. This happened only after more than a year of hosting very diverse range of guests coming from many different parts of the world. Most of the guests are travelers in search of “something” not necessarily tangible nor obvious to themselves.

Claire from Australia is a medical doctor. She looks after the physical, bodily well-being of people. Yun from Korea is a professor in Arts and Creativity. She looks at the mental process happening in our brain. Agnes from Lithuania specializes in Philosophy. She looks into the meaning of life and reality. So, we have a good combination of Physical, Mental and Spiritual well-being …. a (w)holistic ideal not easily attained as well illustrated by the Maslow's Pyramid and the Triple Bottom Line (Economics / Equity / Ecology).

This ideal “clicks” well with the SOHO 3.0 Technology I had highlighted in many occasions:

SOHO 1: Small Office Home Office.
SOHO 2: Solar Heliospheric Observatory spacecraft
SOHO 3: Self-Organizing Holarchic Open system

Maybe it is time again to remind myself and others to read / dedicate more time / energy to realize “Resolution / Re-solution 2012 :TheGenuine Child” in each and everyone of us.

New Year Wish: A Second Home for everyone!

2012-12-31T16:33:00.000+08:00

All I really needed is a second home,

where I can house my friends over-night whenever I need to,

where I can have my own lean business startup with full business centre facilities,

where I can collaborate with other micro-entrepreneurs and mentors,

where I can play host to couchsurfers / vacationers from all over the world,

where I can organize work-shop to exchange skills,

where I can have karaoke sessions with my friends,

where I can preview movies in home comfort,

where I can have Ogawa therapeutic massage whenever I want,

where I can meet my Mastermind Group members, planning the next second homes

All I really needed is a second home,

which is seller-financed with zero down and zero interest,

which is leased with option to purchase,

which is held as Realshares deemed better than REITs,

which is self-financing and sustainable,

which could be bequeathed to my future generations,

All I really needed is a second home,

that advocates and practices the Triple-Bottom-Line (3Ps),

that yields Profit,

that connects People,

that takes care of the Planet,

that captures the spirit of Collaborative Consumption,

that includes Peer2Peer, Share Economy, Freeconomy, Gift-Economy and Open Source etc.

Social Capital: The Whuffie Factor

2012-11-30T18:01:00.000+08:00

One of the most valuable lessons that I have gained from hosting couchsurfers is that as I accumulate more positive references (a kind of verification process), I am getting more couchsurfers wanting to stay with me. In other words, I am building up my Social Capital in the couchsurfing community, and hopefully such Social Capital can also be utilized elsewhere in other economic and social activities (such as easier for me to get a host if and when I decide to travel in similar fashion).

Social capital refers to those stocks of social trust, norms and networks that people can draw upon to solve common problems. Businesses have never thrived, nor economies flourished, without social capital. Such capital is probably not substitutable to any great degree, though, for the other kinds of capital (the myth of self-help). Rather, social capital makes the other kinds—land, labor, and investment—work well. It greases the gears of commerce, along with other areas of life. It is the new currency (called Whuffie) that drives businesses and economies.

The central premise of social capital is that social networks have value. Social capital refers to the collective value of all "social networks" [who people know] and the inclinations that arise from these networks to do things for each other ["norms of reciprocity"].

Today Whuffie is being defined as:
“The sum of the reputation, influence, bridging capital and bonding capital, access to ideas and talent, access to resources, potential access to further resources, saved up favors, accomplishments (resumes, awards, articles, etc.) and the Whuffie of those who you have relationships with.”(Tara Hunt).

Girly Talk at Natural Hot Spring

2012-10-19T12:29:00.000+08:00

There is no big secret that stupid things work (sorry for the crude words, for the lack of more suitable description in a hurry)... For example I just watched a video on YouTube called "Gangnam Style"... It's silly, but it has got more than 480 millions of views on YouTube, and is the site's 8th most watched video and most watched K-pop video. So, even though it seems silly, it may (and most probably WILL) work:
http://bit.ly/OJHW9Y

Now, you might want to try this: Girly Talk at Natural Hot Spring by two couch-surfers of mine (Sandra from Germany and JoRae from Canada. Girls: you are about to be "famous" on YouTube!) I hosted recently at Hypercube@SOHOland. This is an interesting experiment to see if I too can hit the top rank in YouTube!? I assure you that you will learn something from the girls' conversation and the knowledge of the natural hot spring, off Jalan Sg. Lallang, Semenyih, Selangor, Malaysia. Here is the YouTube video: http://youtu.be/5-cYJSy1GZs

The Future of Work

2012-09-30T12:32:00.000+08:00

Work defines us. We are known by way of what we do for a living... your job or profession. In fact, an unemployed person has no so-called “identity”. He or she has no social standing, and practically cut off or isolated from the economic system prevailing at our society. This is the sorrow and tragedy of being “unemployed”. With the global unemployment / under-employment problem looming large in the coming decades, we have to seriously look into the Future of Work.

This is precisely what Lynda Gratton had done in her excellent book, “ The Shift: The Future of Work is Already Here”. In the book, she mentioned of the choices we have to make on what we work on, how we work, where we work and with whom we work. Our quality of life depends on the choices we made and the trade-off involved. This involves our capacity to meet three challenges she listed below:

“The first is the extent to which you are able to invest in your intellectual capital over the period of your working life in order to build mastery in areas that interest you.

The second will be the extent to which you are able to invest in your social capital through your friendships and networks. The most valuable network for you will be those that balance deep friendships with those whom you can trust and much wider networks with people who are very different to you.

The third challenge is to navigate between the old traditional work deal that had money and consumption at its heart to a working deal that has at its centre the capacity to be creative and productive and to live a life based more on experiences.”

There are therefore three shifts:

The First Shift: from shallow generalist to serial master

The Second Shift: from isolated competitor to innovative connector

The Third Shift: from voracious consumer to impassioned producer

This looks to me very much like “The Past is the Future”, back to “horticultural society” with high tech touch, and high dose of Live-Work-Travel-Learn-Play (LW-T-LP)!

Startup Stay: Couchsurfing for Entrepreneurs

2012-08-31T17:30:00.002+08:00

A new global community for traveling entrepreneurs was recently launched based in London. This is a very exacting development.... a version of couchsurfing for entrepreneurs, allowing entrepreneurs to stay with or host other like-minded entrepreneurs, thus avoiding accommodation costs while building meaningful relationships or networking and gaining local insights or knowledge. This is something no 5-star hotel can ever give!

According to Caballero and Villaveiran, more than 600 cities in 90 countries have joined Startup Stay (www.startupstay.com). Entrepreneurs do not pay to be hosted, but membership is by invitation only. Entrepreneurs can request an invitation on the Startup Stay website.

I certainly look forward to participating in this new movement, because Hybercube @ SOHOland (with its LW-T-LP environment / lifestyle / system) is already, in some way, doing the “hosting” and the “incubating”!

You are hosting @ SOHOland (compared to Hosting at Hotel Istana)

2012-07-31T23:19:00.000+08:00

Recently a Malaysian couchsurfing host posted a message at a local forum, mentioning that he would be able to host couchsurfers for two nights at Hotel Istana (rated five-star). This seemingly attracted many interested parties, both local and foreign. The possible reasons for such enthusiastic responses are probably due to the prestigious status of Hotel Istana. It would be a wonderful experience to spend a night at a 5-star hotel, for FREE!

But the question is: how many of us could afford to host continually couchsurfiers at an expensive location? If you really enjoy hosting and offer the best facilities to your guests, you might want to know more about a viable and sustainable solution or alternative.

You can prestigiously host both overseas and local couchsurfers at SOHOland, with its LW-T-LP (Live-Work-TRAVEL-Learn-Play) environment / lifestyle / system. Your guests are guaranteed an unforgettable experience. More importantly, you (plus your family members) and your guests will embrace the LW-T-LP lifestyle.

This opportunity to use SOHOland as a hosting site is made possible by an innovative fractional ownership scheme called HyperCube (“Boutique Property, Mosaic Lifestyle, Integral Values”). The property is freehold and held in perpetuity, with easy payment scheme extended, without interest charge. Initially, a version of Pay-As-You-Use trial test could be offered. More details could be obtained by contacting Eric Lim 0122134968 or erico@pc.jaring.my.

Optimal Ignorance

2012-06-19T08:22:00.000+08:00

I recently came across this idea / concept courtesy of Alicia (a nice Spanish lady couchsurfing at my place known as SOHO*land), for which I would always be grateful, because this discipline will short-cut the launch of business projects, including my own (HyperCube @ SOHO*land).

Optimal ignorance means getting only the information that is really needed and no more. This struck me as especially important in a number of endeavors, such as rapid appraisals and evaluations. "The basic idea of rational ignorance or appropriate imprecision is that any person will spend only a certain amount of time or money to obtain a piece of information. If obtaining that information costs more than the information is worth, an individual will (or should) rationally choose to remain ignorant of it."

This is obviously the direct opposite of “Excessive Education” or “Education Inflation” which I have a tendency to fall into, especially in this information-overload era (thanks to the Internet?!)!?

This is real pragmatism and certainly not the same as minimalism! Thank you.. Alicia Gimenez (the accidental philosopher)!

Global Transformation via Global Entrepreneurship

2012-05-31T17:54:00.000+08:00

The global crises happening now world-wide is closely related to the issue of sustainability. Sustainability in itself cannot be properly addressed without taking a simultaneous global and local view or perspective. This involves our personal Work-Life balance in the context of social and ecological concerns and responsibility. We need a framework to put all these issues in a coherent manner.

I am developing HyperCube @ SOHO*land, comprising of the Grass-Root-Philosophy (GRP) and the Global-Business-Plan (GBP) contained in SOHO Technology 3.0 that give prominence to Soil (SOHO1), Sun (SOHO2) and Soul (SOHO3) that leads to Health-Wealth-Happiness, via Social-Environmental-Entrepreneurship (SEE)! It is “Do Good, Make Money, Have Fun”!

The GRP (Grass-Root-Philosophy) is a very grass-root approach in philosophical search, commencing with a business start-up from Small-Office-Home-Office (SOHO-1), while having some spare time engaged in Astronomy studying the Solar Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO-2) which further extends our investigation into the Self-Organizing Holarchi Open(SOHO-3) system that helps to answer the questions, such as “Why there is life?”, “What is the purpose of life?” etc. etc. Sound very much like searching for Soil (Economy), Sun (Ecology) and Soul (Equity) or High Toil (Soil), High Tech (Sun) and High Touch (Soul).

The GBP (Global Business Plan), on the other hand, involves having an “Office-In-Every-Home” for each and every one of us as a launch-pad for a business venture that will eventually turn us into full-fledged local Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE), a transition to localization (re-localization) and an alternative to conventional capitalism, promoting "Home-In-Every-Office" concept (Economy-Ecology-Equity) in businesses, while receiving necessary back-up from centralized locations (known as Hypercube @ SOHO*land). Hopefully this will lead many of us to financial independence as indies or free agent of Generation-E (Environment, Energy, Equity, Enterprise, Emotion and E-commerce). The word “Global” has two connotations: (1) taking all stake-holders into consideration and integrating LW-T-LP (Live-Work-Travel-Learn-Play) and (2) applicable and extendible to all countries and nations., and useable by everyone wishing to become indies as TransFarmers, Cultuvators, Generation-E etc.

The Path to Personal and Business Enlightenment (PBE) would have many steps, which could broadly be considered as consisting of the following three steep flights of stairs:

(1) Survival (Manageability of prevailing situations or Economy for Business under the Triple Bottom Line concept)
(2) Understanding (Comprehensibility of the phenomena or Ecology for Business under the TBL)
(3) Wisdom & Love (Meaningfulness of the various encounters or Equity for Business, under the TBL)

The Manageability / Comprehensibility / Meaningfulness will give us a Sense of Coherence (SOC) which is the source of our Health and Wellbeing or Wealth. This is the essence of the Thesis of Salutogenesis, the term first used and promulgated by Aaron Antonovsky in 1979, in the context of alternative medicine.

The Big Three also represents the local / global / cosmic aspects of any holistic solutions. This is also to “Think Globally, Act Locally, Connect Cosmically”.

Individually, we might have to earn our keep by making better and more efficient use of Small Office Home Office (SOHO). We might have to produce portion of our foods by having better understanding of permaculture ( or permanent agriculture, the most famous Australian cultural export, courtesy of Bill Mollison) in particular and ecology in general, including the Sun (partly through the Solar Heliospheric Observatory, another SOHO of the second kind). Corporation-wise, managers might have to get a quick grasp of the differences amongst Hierarchy / Holarchy / Panarchy, the essence of which is better understood by studying the behavior of Holons (the universal Self-Organizing Holarchic Open system, another SOHO of the third kind).

Armed and equipped with these three types of SOHO, we would then have the physical / scientific / philosophical (even spiritual) basis to strengthen our faith in face of the challenging times ahead.

Live-Work-Travel-Learn-Play (LW-T-LP) Extension

2012-04-30T16:23:00.000+08:00

I have been operating the HyperCube at SOHO*land with its Live-Work-Learn-Play (LWLP) elements. Since I opened the facilities to couch-surfers (mainly via couchsurfing.org), I have been noticing the importance of traveling (through wilderness and philosophically through life) as an important feature for the HyperCube concept.

The Travel element is, of course, more than mere touristic. In fact, it has its pre-modern, modern, and post-modern connotation. The following extracts from an article by Glenn Parton (Trumpeter), “ Humans-in-the-Wilderness”, are particularly relevant.

Primitive nomads do not remain permanently in any particular place, yet they are at home in the wilderness. Could it be that they are at home everywhere because they remain permanently nowhere, i.e. because they are visitors in a primal sense rather than in a civilized sense? The pre-civilized world was not split into a human realm and nonhuman realm – all native creatures shared the same ground.

Dualistic thinking about human culture and wilderness is the result of civilization as we have known it. For traditional peoples, wildland is lived. In contrast, National Parks, Wildlife Refuges and designated Wilderness Areas – even if enlarged, diversified, and interconnected – make us visitors and spectators of wild nature. We must ensure that the eagle flying overhead is not primarily a symbolic, aesthetic, or economic value, but an existential value – that is, having to do with the plan and purpose of our existence.

We (need to) recapture the vernacular paradigm, with its proper balance and interaction between humans and the rest of nature. This is basically a matter of adopting the modern economy to the structure, function, and composition of the former pre-civilized whole. New technologies can be incorporated into our ancient milieu through miniaturization and localization, returning to wilderness without forfeiting all the achievements of civilization over the last 5000 years or more.

(This) idea of post-modern nomadism is faraway from matters of political negotiation and bio-crisis intervention and manipulation. Beyond the quick fix and stimulus to immediate action, there is the philosophical question of the best of all possible lives, i.e. to keep alive the images and values of a qualitatively better life- of high culture – which may, one day, “de-realize” the established framework of things.

The status quo continues to resist the consequences of hard scientific data – the full realization of biological reality, which presupposes social revolution, or massive economic conversion, or the end of the intensive activities associated with civilization. Advanced primitivism will take its place: humble and respectful human places together with the forces and faces that drive evolution. Then we will have recapture that lost unity of the given world... human transcendence of wilderness without human abolition of wilderness.

Our place in this real life drama cohere with everything else – a thread of narrative – or we are not playing our proper role in the greater scheme of things. We are still within cosmic wilderness; it is not something “out there”, apart from humankind. The Solar System, the Milky Way, and the Universe envelope us.

Karaoke Capitalism

2012-03-31T23:52:00.001+08:00

I recently read the book by Jonas and Kjell, “Karaoke Capitalism: Management for Mankind”. I was really struck by the conclusion of the book: Mankind is left with a choice between capitalism with a cause or a curse. We have an individual responsibility for creating capitalism with a cause.

“Ironically, we may be moving closer and closer to a virtual reality while also moving further and further from a virtuous world. Perhaps what we really need are markets with morality and meaning – an elite with ethics”.

Currently, capitalism thrives on “Sinovation”, exploiting the magnificent seven sins (Pride, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Anger, Greed and Sloth), thus leading to the Bubble Economy and the inevitable collapse.

With capitalism with a cause, we can find and attain a fine balance of the following mixes:

Money / Meaning relationship
Individual / Group (You + Union = Younion)
Efficiency (Economy) / Empathy (Feeling or Emotion)
Model (Business) / Mood (Emotion or Feeling)
Fit (Economy or Finance)/ Sexy (Emotion)

I particularly like their presentation on “Efficiency & Empathy Unite”:

(a) Low Efficiency / Low Empathy: Relief by Belief

(b) Low Efficiency / High Empathy: Strangulation by Regulation

(d) High Efficiency / High Empathy: Humanization by Participation

It is interesting to compare the approach with the Triple-Bottom-Line (TBL) of Profit-People-Planet or Economy-Equity-Ecology.

Pay-It-Forward (PIF) and MLM

2012-02-29T10:02:00.000+08:00

Many of you might be familiar with MLM (Multi-Level-Marketing) utilized by Direct Sales companies in promoting their products or services. You sponsor or recruit your down lines who repeat the process, thus forming a formidable network that could work wonder in terms of income potential (both current and in the future).

A very similar process that works in equivalent manner is “Pay-It-Forward”, in social engineering for doing good deeds.

Many of you may have seen the movie ‘Pay It Forward’ or have read the novel of the same name, a story about a young boy who did 3 good deeds for others in need. In return, all that the child wanted was that they pass on the good deed to three other people and keep the cycle going.
One good deed might not seem like much, but if everyone did something good for someone else, then the cycle of generosity and kindness can spark us to become better people.

The expression "pay it forward" is used to describe the concept of asking that a good deed be repaid by having it done to others instead. In contract law, typically there are two parties but there is the concept of third party beneficiaries. Pay it forward merely applies this contract law concept so that third party beneficiary be a stranger to the creditor. More specifically, the creditor offers the debtor the option of "paying" the debt forward by lending it to a third person instead of paying it back to the original creditor. Debt and payments can be monetary or by good deeds. In sociology, this concept is called "generalized reciprocity" or "generalized exchange".

Hosts and guests (couchsurfers) in Couchsurfing could do well if the PIF spirit is well recognized and implemented.

To know about the Pay-It-Forward initiative or movement, visit http://www.payitforwardfoundation.org

Collaborative Consumption and Cognitive Surplus

2012-01-31T12:55:00.000+08:00

After pursuing the principles of Collaborative Consumption as advocated by Rachel Botsman for some times, I was well prepared to accept the ideal of Cognitive Surplus advocated by Clay Shirky (Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age): consuming, producing and sharing of Cognitive Surplus.

The book's central theme is that people are now learning how to use more constructively the free time afforded to them since the 1940s for creative acts rather than consumptive ones, particularly with the advent of online tools that allow new forms of collaboration.

Something that makes today remarkable is that we can treat free time as a general social asset that can be harnessed for large, communally created projects. Society never knows what to do with a surplus at first (hence “surplus”). Passive participation is easier… but things are changing (less TV watched, not pure consumers anymore).

The most compelling example of Shirky's cognitive surplus is also the most obvious: Wikipedia. He estimates that the pages of Wikipedia represent more than 100 million hours of human thought. All that unpaid labor has produced, by far, the most comprehensive, thorough, and intelligent summary of human knowledge that has ever existed. (Wikipedia includes more than 15 million free articles in 200 different languages.) And it was all done by perfect strangers, most of whom are not experts in anything.

In Shirky's view, these social creations fall into a series of categories: personal, communal, public and civic – the last describing those shared projects whose mission is nothing less than to transform society. These high-minded web ventures, he suggests, are the most valuable of all.

Resolutions / Re-Solutions 2012

2011-12-31T17:47:00.000+08:00

It is time for drawing up yearly resolutions again. I think what we really need is not more yearly resolutions but re-solutions ( replicable / repeatable solutions). In this context, I would very much like to repeat what I had written on 1^st January 2010: “ Be a Genuine Child. Try the SOHO Tricycle ”.

Individuals and companies will be facing new challenges in the form of convergence of crisis of Finance / Fuel / Foods etc in the coming years. The solution will likely be the essential quest for sustainability, resilience and harmony in the areas of Economy / Equity / Environment, based on cyclical, rather than linear mode of operation.

Indeed, there will be three essential Cycles (as illustrated with the help of the SOHO Tricycle) that will determine our Quality of Working, Quality of Living and Quality of Life.

The Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) Cycle will determine how effectively and efficiently we earn our living, bringing with it the usual tool-kits of Productivity, Innovations and Creativity. The promotion of entrepreneurship in the form of Small-Office-Home Office (SOHO1) is also very much encouraged. This is the Economy area. It is essentially Acting Locally. This will improve our Quality of Working.

The Permaculture Cycle advocates the global approach in solving local problems (the so-called Re-Localization Movement), while emphasizing diversity, resilience and harmony. The complexity of the environment is well respected and the conservation of energy practiced. The role of the Sun, and the associated Solar Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO2) spacecraft, is well acknowledged, confirming the need for more Re-Solarization efforts world-wide (such as solar panels and trees or photosynthesis). This is the Environment area. It is essentially Thinking Globally. This will improve our Quality of Living.

The Holon Cycle, a reference to the Self-Organizing Holarchic Open (SOHO3) system (Prigogine, Nobel Prize), gives emphasis to the inter-connectedness and inter-dependence of things and beings in the Cosmos via the Holarchy structure (rather than Hierarchy structure). Everything is “always partial, already whole” or “box-in-a-box-in-a-box” (Bibib). Bibib is a good way to define a holon. We are inter-connected and inter-dependent. This is the Equity area. It is essentially Connecting Cosmically. This will improve our Quality of Life.

So, we have Three Cycles embodied in the Tricycle. Let live the Tricycle Way in the New Year 2012.

CouchSurfing: Collaborative Consumption and Prosumerism

2011-11-30T15:46:00.008+08:00

I must say that I get to know couchsurfing much better now, after having hosted four individual guests and taken part in many couchsurfers-related events / meetings etc., in a short span of three weeks under the couchsurfing arrangement.

It was certainly a refreshing experience. If you have not hosted any guest, my recommendation is to join the game (it can even make you feel young …. certainly in my case). From the various conversations I had with other guests / hosts that I managed to meet up, I would tentatively give the following observations:

Opportunities to meet diverse range of peoples from different countries
Diverse reasons for traveling / vagabonding
Different methods of funding / financing
Wide range of dress codes / back-packing / equipment etc
Work / Job / Volunteering opportunities etc.
Possible reverse cultural shock etc., upon return?

I came across couchsurfing while researching on Collaborative Consumption (CC). I would certainly say that Couchsurfing is a very good example of CC. I like and support the concept very much. It would be beautiful to keep it going. The issue is how to make the game truly sustainable for the participants (both the guests and the hosts). I have the following feelings / observations:

Each guests and hosts (person /place /locality) are different
Understand or know the hosts / places / locality. Read their profiles. Don't send a “blank” couch request.
We are not just consumers. We are all producers as well. We are prosumers. Share your skills.
Consider in what way you can be “productive” to the hosts / place / locality (rendering help in whatever way that enables you to leave the host / place / locality in a better condition / value than the time you first arrive). Share you skills. Be a true prosumer.
Your “productiveness” could be in the areas of the Triple Bottom Line (People-Planet-Profit), covering the socio-economic environmental aspects. Be a true prosumer. Share your skills.
Even if your stay is short, try your every best to be a true prosumer. Share your skills.

Couchsurfing and other Collaborative Consumption must be Prosumerism to be truly SUSTAINABLE.

The CouchSurfing Culture

2011-10-31T12:41:00.000+08:00

In the course of my search for a business model for Collaborative Consumption, I came across a social phenomenon / culture called CouchSurfing (www.couchsurfing.org). I immediately see the complementary / supplementary connection between what I have been promoting (Hypercube @ Soholand) and CouchSurfing.

From the viewpoint of the hosts (with proper safeguards and prudence), CouchSurfing is a perfect example of gainfully utilizing excess capacity for the common goods, social-economic-ecologically.What is more important, a highly productive social capital can be built up that can benefit all parties involved.

In my short span of involvement (on-line and off-line) with this highly dynamic phenomenon / culture, I have come across diversity as / at its core (expression of good, not-so-good and bad, as in all societal dealings). I must also quick to add that the positive far out-ranks the negative.

I look forward to further involvement / participation in CouchSurfing in the days ahead. I think you should certainly do the same, not necessarily as a hosting party.

Pareto Paradigm

2011-09-30T23:12:00.000+08:00

The Pareto Principle (80-20 Rule) states that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. One of the most common examples is that 80% of your sales come from 20% of your clients. Similarly, the richest 20% own 80% of all wealth.

Interestingly, the Pareto Principle (or its variants) finds its way into our personal lifes. I came across two interesting books that dwelt on this topic, with very enlightening contents.

Life's 2% Solution ( Simple Steps to achieve Happiness and Balance) by Marcia Hughes
0.8 Living the Healthy Way (in Chinese) by Tao Tao

Marcia maintained that “By dedicating just 30 minutes a day (or an equivalent amount in bigger, weekly clusters) toward satisfying an inner yearning, you will transform your life. You will gain an inner sense of well-being, and most important, you will no longer be at the mercy of superficial routines competing for priority.”

The inner yearning is what Marcia called “Espirit d'Core” or the spirit at the core of your being. It is that unique element that makes up one's fundamental core self . It dwells in our innermost self. Our core spirit must be integrated and expressed in our daily living in order to be fulfilled and happy.

Tao Tao, on the other hand, devoted his book on the 80% Living Paradigm that will guarantee the attainment of the proverbial Golden Mean in Health, Wealth and Happiness.

Tao Tao maintained that we do not need to be 100% wealthy (20% sense of poverty will be good), we do not need 100% comfort (20% inconvenience will be good), we do not need 100% modernity (20% raw state will be good).

Here we are: real practitioners of the Pareto Paradigm.

What Is SOHO 2.0? And SOHO 3.0?

2011-08-14T14:49:00.000+08:00

I gave a presentation yesterday at the forum organized by Gerakan National Youth entitled "New Breed For International Trading". My topic was "SOHO: Starting International Business at Home".The proceeding can be viewed and down-loaded here.

During Q&A, I was asked by Datin Paduka Yong Dai Ying what was the difference between SOHO and SOHO 2.0 which I briefly touched. To which I only managed to give a very brief answer which did not do justice to the question. I wish to elaborate further here.

As mentioned in my presentation, SOHO could follow a certain developmental path that could eventually lead to the formation of business conglomerates that thrives on consumption growth (globalization and conspicuous consumption)which ultimately leads to the socio-economic-environmental degradation that we see today, unless the Triple-Bottom-Line (TBL) of Profit-People-Planet paradigm is followed. Even that, the constraint and limitation of "growth" is always an issue due to the constraints imposed on or by the over-all ecosystem.

The ultimate solution is a Transition to Sustainability which would require some sort of "voluntary simplicity". This Transition to Sustainability is what I would call SOHO 2.0. It is " The Future is the Past". Back to the old local Trade or Skill economy, with the modern touch. Globalization will eventually lead back to Localization or Re-Localization or more correctly Glocalization. This is SOHO 2.0 --- a Transition to Sustainability / Simplicity, a sort of "retiree economy".

Will there be a SOHO 3.0? You can find out more here, as well as other related contents pertaining to the SOHO Taxonomy.

Houses That Transform You: HyperCube

2011-07-27T12:47:00.000+08:00

We used to transform houses, retrofitting or refurbishing them. Now we have houses that TRANSFORM you.

Life is a continuous Live-Work-Learn-Play (LWLP) process. Your existing home (or house you plan to acquire soon) is most likely NOT ideally suited for true and efficient LWLP process.

There is a whole new way of acquiring LWLP properties that is characterized by the following features:

LIVE: Quality of Living via No-Money-Down (NMD) Property Investment method to secure your first and subsequent home / properties.
WORK: Quality of Working via Lean Start-Up (LSU) approach to Entrepreneurship and Micro-Enterprises
LEARN: Quality of Connecting is true learning achieved through discovering the quality of connections between things and peoples.
PLAY: Quality of Life is appreciating the Meaning of Life via doing things we enjoy and have passion for.

Such LWLP properties are graphically presented as Hypercube. Hypercube properties are therefore specially structured or constituted for true and efficient LWLP process. Acquiring such Hypercube properties enable you build up Capital (or Equity) and achieve healthy Revenue (or Cash Flow) while establish a profitable Business (Entrepreneurship) in a sustainable Community (Connections). The purpose of Hypercube is to Incubate (Entrepreneur) / Accelerate (Business) / Transform (Life).

Hypercube is Money-making (Dollar) and Meaning-making (Sense). Truly Dollar & Sense and a new social awakening! We are giving birth to the Hypercube Social Movement (HSM). Come and join us! More relevant details at SOHOLAND (SOHO Learning And Network Demo).

We used to transform houses. Now we have houses that TRANSFORM you.

Double Rich in Dollars and Senses

2011-06-28T16:24:00.000+08:00

Being rich can be defined in two seemingly contradictory ways:

(1) Rich in Dollars
(2) Rich in Senses (NOT Cents but Senses)

The first definition (in financial or monetary terms) is more commonly utilized and accepted. It has a QUANTITATIVE connotation.It is also often associated with Quality of Living (ecology) and Quality of Working (economy).

The second definition (in terms of feeling / emotion or meaning) is much less appreciated or emphasized. It has a QUALITATIVE connotation.It is also often associated with Quality of Connecting (equity) and Quality of Life (emancipation).

So, what is the relationship amongst Quality of Living (ecology), Quality of Working (economy), Quality of Connecting (equity) and Quality of Life (emancipation)?

This relationship is best illustrated by examining the relationship between the so-called PLAN A (Business-As-Usual) and PLAN B (Sustainable Future).PLAN A is more about Dollars, while PLAN B is more about Senses.

Combining PLAN A and PLAN B in one single stroke would result in us being Double Rich in Dollars and Senses. This is how the Hypercube Integral Lifestyle is designed to do, attaining Live-Work-Learn-Play integration thus achieving Quality of Living (Ecology) / Quality of Working (Economy) / Quality of Connecting (Equity) / Quality of Life (Emancipation), as illustrated in the following matrix table:

The 4-Es is much more than mere Triple-Bottom-Line of Economy-Equity-Ecology or Profit-People-Planet. It concerns our personal and humanity's Freedom / Quality of Life / Emancipation.

The Hypercube Integral Lifestyle is a practical implementation of that grand scheme of things.

Please join me in this journey.